Alaska News

Man arrested for DUI while floating river on inflatable raft in Fairbanks

On Sunday, Juneau resident William Modene, 32, was charged with a DUI for allegedly floating down the Chena River on an inflatable raft with a breath-alcohol content of 0.313, nearly four times the legal limit of 0.08, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports.

Alaska State Troopers received a report of a "heavily intoxicated" man floating down the Chena River; a wildlife trooper boat responded and subsequently arrested him. A trooper spokeswoman told the News-Miner that he was cooperative and was arrested without incident. He posted bail of $2,500 on Monday.

Although most people are arrested for driving cars or other motorized vehicles -- mostly terrestrial -- while intoxicated, Alaska's law against driving under the influence applies also to airplanes and watercraft, including non-motorized boats such as kayaks and canoes. Last summer the Alaska State Troopers announced that they would be increasing their presence on waterways in Fairbanks, but DUIs such as Modene's are still rare.

Nationwide, alcohol is the leading contributor in fatal boating accidents, a main factor in 21 percent of all reported fatalities, according to the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators.

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Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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